In the months following his bail, Raj Kundra continues to claim he is innocent in the pornography racket, calling the case a ‘witch hunt’, while demanding a trial to present his case.
In an interview with entertainment portal Pinkvilla, Kundra has now finally broken his silence, ready to present his side of the story in a bid to clear his name. “After much contemplation, considering there are many misleading and irresponsible statements/ articles floating around and my silence has been misconstrued for weakness, I would like to start by stating that I have never been involved in the production and distribution of ‘pornography’ ever in my life,” he was quoted as saying by the portal. Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty Kundra’s husband was arrested by Mumbai Police in July for filming and distributing adult content through mobile apps in India. Months after spending time behind bars, he was finally granted bail in September and has largely maintained a low profile since, while also restricting access to his Instagram account.
“This whole episode has been nothing but a witch hunt. The matter is subjudice so I cannot elucidate, but I am ready to face trial and have full faith in the judiciary, where the truth will prevail,” Kundra continued.
The businessman also lamented the trial by media that he and his family was subjected to following his arrest, prompting his actress-wife to also issue a statement in the early days of his arrest to allow the court to pass judgement in the case.
“Unfortunately, I have already been pronounced ‘guilty’ by the media and my family and I have been subjected to a lot of pain (continuously), violating my human and constitutional rights at different levels. The trolling, negativity and toxic public perception has been very debilitating,” Kundra said in the interview.
He continued: “To set the record straight, I do not hide my face in shame, but wish that my privacy is not intruded anymore with this continued media trial. My priority has always been my family, nothing else matters at this juncture. I believe it’s every person’s inalienable right to live with dignity and I request the same. Thank you for taking out time to read this statement, and respecting my privacy henceforth.”
Shetty Kundra has maintained that she had no association with the case and was unaware of the day-to-day activities, despite her name appearing on the board of directors of the company that was at the centre of the pornography racket.
Last week, Kundra had a win in his case when the Supreme Court of India issued a notice to Maharashtra government on a petition filed by the businessman seeking anticipatory bail. The top court granted him four weeks protection from arrest in one of the cases related to the porn film racket.
In October, Kundra and his wife also filed a Rs500 million (Dh24.4 million) defamation suit against model and starlet Sherlyn Chopra who they claimed had been making inflammatory statements in the press against them.
What is the Raj Kundra case?
The Indian businessman and producer, 46, was arrested on July 19 for allegedly producing and distributing adult content on mobile apps such as HotShots and BollyFame. After spending two months in prison, he was granted bail on September 20 by a Mumbai court. Kundra has reportedly been booked under Indian Penal Code sections 420 of cheating, 34 for common intention, along with 292 and 293 that involves indulging in the obscene act in public places and publicly exhibiting or circulating obscene books or literature and under the Information Technology Act and under the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act.
